June 23 – The prestigious “Premier’s Sustainability Award 2014” in the category “Innovation in sustainable technologies” was awarded to Saipem. The prize went to the Italian group for the construction of the submarine pipeline Narrows Marine Crossing. The award is sponsored by the Department for the Protection of Natural and Environmental Heritage of the government of Queensland, Australia, with the support of the Queensland University Technology. The Narrows Crossing Marine, whose design, implementation and construction was commissioned in 2011 by Saipem Santos GLNG, is one of the world’s longest underwater pipeline. The pipeline, 4.3 km long with a diameter of 42 inches, will transport natural gas extracted from coal beds between the city of Rome in Queensland and the Arcadia Valley to the Curtis Island liquefaction plant, near Gladstone. To minimize the environmental impact of construction activities, Saipem built an underwater tunnel with a diameter of 4 meters that allowed the pipeline to cross The Narrows in absolute safety, without any impact on habitat, wildlife and the coastal environment.
